Iconic YA novel transformed into theatre production, arriving at Northern Stage
The team behind a theatre adaptation of Malorie Blackman's iconic novel Noughts and Crosses, say they hope it will see Newcastle audiences asking important questions
A theatre adaptation of an iconic young adult book is heading to Newcastle next week - with the team behind it hoping it will spark important conversations.
Noughts and Crosses, based on the book by Malorie Blackman, starts at Northern Stage next week, with the stage show written by Sabrina Mahfouz.
Delving into topics such as racism and discrimination in society, the book has been a bestseller worldwide, and now the creative team behind the show are hoping they can share its message with hundreds more people in the North East.
Noughts & Crosses first toured in 2019 as the first co-production between Pilot Theatre, Derby Theatre, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Mercury Theatre, Colchester, and York Theatre Royal who in 2018 formed a new partnership to develop, produce and present theatre for younger audiences.
The Pilot Theatre production was seen by over 30,000 people on tour with 40 % of the audience being aged under twenty.
It went on to win Pilot Theatre the award for excellence in Touring at the 2019 UK Theatre Awards.
Directed by Pilot Theatre’s Artistic Director Esther Richardson, who tells us what she hopes audiences will take from it:
"I hope it inspires people to be more active about challenging discrimination when they meet it,
"I hope people feel a little braver in situations where they see 'actually I should just be brave and speak up about this'"
And Chris Jack, who plays Kamal Hadley in the show says he's excited to find out how audiences react - especially his own son;
"Just asking questions itself, I think that can be a starting point of something, this is a story which needs to be told....
"So walking away feeling enriched, feeling like you've been on an absolute journey.
"My son is coming to see the play, and he's twelve.
"He's the perfect sort of age, and the fact that he's mixed race.
"So I'll be intrigued to ask him what he's taken away from the play afterwards."
You can find out more about Noughts and Crosses via the Northern Stage Website.